Applications still sought for vacant Ames School Board seat

Monday

This story has been corrected to reflect that the deadline to submit an application to become a member of the Ames School Board is Thursday, May 17.

The deadline to submit applications to hold a seat on the Ames school board and replace former member Rodney Briggs is Thursday, and so far no one has stepped forward to express interest in serving.

Briggs, an officer with the Des Moines Police Department, announced his decision to resign from the board at the end of April due in part to relocating to the Des Moines metro area — making him ineligible to continue serving on the school board after being a member since 2011.

After a decision made by the school board last week to open up applications for the role to the Ames public, interested parties have until Thursday at 4:30 p.m. to apply to fill Briggs' vacant board seat.

According to Iowa Code, when a vacancy occurs on a school board, the remaining members have the option to appoint a replacement. Briggs served his last day as a school board member May 2, and the current board has until June 1 to fill his seat. The appointed candidate will serve until Nov. 5, 2019, when Briggs' term concludes, or until the next school election, should one occur sooner.

In order to apply, candidates need to fill out a statement of candidacy form, available at the school district's website and at its business office, located at 2005 24th Street. The form contains two questions, asking why candidates wish to be appointed to the school board, and how they embody the traits of effective board members as outlined in board policy.

A candidate forum to evaluate applicants has been scheduled for Monday, May 21, at 6 p.m. The public forum will be held as part of the regular school board meeting also scheduled for next Monday, and will be held at the school district office.

As of Monday morning, no applicants had turned in paperwork yet, according to Director of School, Community and Media Relations Eric Smidt.

“This is a unique opportunity for an individual in the community to get involved in the school district and make a difference,” Smidt said. “We have a great school board and we're looking forward to see who will be added to that group.”

The goal is to identify Briggs' replacement next Monday, appoint the selected new board member during the action portion of the meeting and swear them in.

In a letter, Ames school district legal council Drew Bracken suggested appointing a former school board member that is willing to fill in and does not have “designs on holding the office long-term” to fill the vacancy.

“This provides the board with a full complement of members after one member resigns, and still gives the voters a fair opportunity to elect a new board member from (a slate) of interested candidates with no particular advantage over others,” the letter said.

In an interview with the Ames Tribune, former school board member Tim Rasmussen — who served on the school board from 2013-2017, ran again last year, but did not get re-elected — said that despite the number of people that have already reached out to him over the subject, he will not be sending in an application.

“The willingness and desire to serve is there, but no, I will not be submitting an application to serve on the current board,” Rasmussen said, citing his focus on working full-time as a reason. “I hope that some good former board members are willing to step up and fill out the term.”

He said he knows of another former board member considering applying, who he called “the right person” to take the appointment, in addition to a non-board-experienced individual he has urged to run for a seat in the past.

Likewise, former school board members Mike Espeset and Bill Talbot also said as of now, they do not intend to pursue re-joining the board.

Espeset served on the school board starting in 2011 and completed his final term last year, after opting not to run for re-election. Although he said he would consider filling the vacant seat, as the president of Story Construction — which is currently involved in the project to build a new Ames High School — a conflict of interest would arise.

Talbot also left the school board last year after deciding against running for re-election. He served his first term starting in 2009 and said that while he is familiar with the job, the con is how much of a time commitment it involves.

“I'd have to think about it, I'd be pretty slow to accept an appointment,” Talbot said. “I've just been enjoying my time off. If they ask me, I would take that seriously.”

A press release listing the applicants for the vacancy will be released on Friday. If Briggs' seat is not filled by June 1, the school district will be required to hold a special election instead. At a May 7 school board meeting, district Chief Financial Officer Chris Stensland said a special election would cost about $15,000 from the district's fiscal year 2019 general fund.

“I've greatly appreciated being on the school board,” Ames School Board Vice President Luke Deardorff said of the pending appointment. “It's focused on making sure we can all improve and be the best we can for our students. I think people who apply should have a passion for kids. It's a dedication not to be taken lightly, because it takes time to learn how schools operate.”

The Ames Tribune's Austin Cannon contributed reporting for this story.

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